The BBC today delayed the scrapping of free TV licences for over-75s by two months to help the elderly deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Only those on pension credit were set to continue to receive free TV licences from June 1 after the corporation took on responsibility for funding the benefit.
But the BBC said today that this change had been pushed back to August 1, because ‘during this time we do not want anyone to be worried about any potential change’.
BBC Broadcasting House in London is pictured in January. The BBC has delayed the scrapping free TV licences for over-75s by two months to help the elderly deal with coronavirus
BBC chairman Sir David Clementi said: ‘The BBC board has decided to delay changes to over-75s licence fees. We are in exceptional circumstances.
‘Now is not the right time. We are fully focused on delivering our services to the public at this difficult time.’
It comes after Age UK said pensioners would want to ‘see and hear’ what political and NHS leaders are saying to the country during this ‘national crisis’.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said today: ‘I am pleased the BBC has worked with us and agreed to delay their licence fee changes for over 75s from coming in and will keep this under review.
‘It will be welcome news to millions of older people who now don’t need to worry about their TV licence during this challenging period.
‘It is right that the BBC have recognised the exceptional circumstances posed by the coronavirus outbreak and the need for the whole country to pull together in the national effort.’
The charity Age UK had called for the new scheme to be ‘halted immediately and stopped until the end of 2020’, adding that TV will be key for them to get ‘precious input from the outside world.’
It said while there was a ‘strong case’ for keeping all the free TV licences at any time, the situation older people find themselves in at the moment, as a result of the virus, was ‘of a different order entirely’.
Age UK said the over-75s face the prospect of having to ‘stay mostly or entirely at home for weeks at a time’ to stay safe from the virus, with many of their social activities being cancelled and visits restricted.
It said many of these are not online either. It added that in these circumstances older people will be ‘even more reliant on their TV’ than normal.
It also pointed out that the BBC has been inviting those on pension credit to get a photocopy of a letter showing they receive pension credit. Age UK said the letter suggested going to a corner shop or a library to do this.
Age UK said this and the prospect of staff from Capita, the company the BBC contracts to oversee licence fee enforcement, visiting the elderly to help them adjust to the new rules, would both place over 75’s at ‘greater risk’ of getting the virus.
It comes as an ambassador for the charity, actress Miriam Margolyes branded the plans to drastically scale back free TV licences for over 75s as ‘utter nonsense’.
Speaking a campaign video for the charity she said: ‘The plan for free TV licences to be scrapped for the over 75s is utter nonsense. It’s vindictive, political hard play. I think it’s outrageous and must be fought.’
She added: ‘The Government and the BBC are at loggerheads at the moment and the piggy-in-the-middle are the pensioners.
‘The people over 75 are being punished, they are suddenly being asked, in June, it’s really close, to decide whether they are going to have a television or not.
‘Those very people are being targeted. I think it’s disgraceful and I think it is a Government responsibility to care for its old people.’
In a separate comment she said: ‘The BBC and the Government have to find a way forward that puts older people’s fears to rest and allows their TV licences to stay free.’
The charity said the increase in the TV licence fee, to £157.50 from April 1, and the launch of a public consultation on whether TV licence fee evasion should be decriminalised, ‘has done nothing to make the position better for the over-75s’.
A previous Conservative government handed over responsibility for free TV licences to the BBC in 2015.
A joint statement from the BBC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today said: ‘The BBC and the Government have been discussing the national Coronavirus situation.
‘Changes to the TV licence for people aged over 75 had been due to come into effect on June 1. But during this time we do not want anyone to be worried about any potential change.
‘The BBC’s priority over the coming period will be to do everything we can to serve the nation at this uniquely challenging time.
‘As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a vital role to play in supplying information to the public in the weeks and months ahead.
Actress Miriam Margolyes (pictured on the BBC’s Graham Norton Show in January) has branded the plans to drastically scale back free TV licences for over 75s as ‘utter nonsense’
‘Recognising the exceptional circumstances, the BBC Board has therefore decided to change the start date of the new policy.
‘Our current plan is to now bring it into place on August 1. We will of course keep the issue under review as the situation continues to evolve.’
Today, Boris Johnson will discuss strengthening coronavirus-tackling measures with officials and could make a decision on shielding elderly citizens, banning mass gatherings and household isolation.
The Prime Minister will chair an emergency meeting of the Cobra committee this afternoon before addressing the first of the daily press conferences being planned to update the public on Covid-19.
As the UK death toll reached 35 on Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that over-70s could be told to stay home for up to four months within the ‘coming weeks’.
The number of confirmed positive tests reached 1,372, but the true figure of people in the UK with the disease is likely to be far higher.
Coronavirus has now infected almost 170,000 people and killed more than 6,000 with several countries going into lockdown as Europe becomes the new epicentre of the outbreak.